A GoFundMe campaign aiming to raise $45,000 to pay three months'​ worth of rent, utilities and salaries at Axanar'​s studio abruptly ended on November 3, 2016, just a few days after launch and following numerous complaints in its comments section and reports to GoFundMe itself.

A GoFundMe campaign aiming to raise $45,000 to pay three months'​ worth of rent, utilities and salaries at Axanar'​s studio abruptly ended on November 3, 2016, just a few days after launch and following numerous complaints in its comments section and reports to GoFundMe itself.

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Titled "We Stand With Axanar,"​ the project was launched October 29 by glogger ​Jonathan Lane, whose pitch confirmed producer [[Alec Peters]]' ​statement ​in May that the project was [[axanar_finances|broke]]:​

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===== Axanar'​s Broke? =====

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Titled "We Stand With Axanar,"​ the project was launched October 29 by blogger ​Jonathan Lane, whose pitch confirmed producer [[Alec Peters]]' ​statements ​in May and again in November ​that the project was [[axanar_finances|broke]]:​

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[{{ ::​rent-paid.jpg?​nolink&​350|**JUSTIFIED** Alec Peters told Kickstarter contributors he personally paid the rent on Axanar'​s donor-built studio, so he's using the empty space to play Warhammer 40K.}}]

> Already, Alec has put more than $150,000 of his own money into "​keeping the lights on," but he is nearly out of money now. I wasn't supposed to tell you that. (([[https://​www.gofundme.com/​helpaxanar|We Stand With Axanar, GoFundMe]], retrieved 11/3/16.))

> Already, Alec has put more than $150,000 of his own money into "​keeping the lights on," but he is nearly out of money now. I wasn't supposed to tell you that. (([[https://​www.gofundme.com/​helpaxanar|We Stand With Axanar, GoFundMe]], retrieved 11/3/16.))

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On Kickstarter more than a week later, Peters revealed he had personally paid for months of the rent of Industry Studios, his commercial soundstage paid for with donor dollars, entitling him to use the space as he saw fit, including setting up a [[wp>​Warhammer_40,​000|Warhammer 40,000]] gaming venue.(([[https://​www.kickstarter.com/​projects/​194429923/​star-trek-axanar/​comments?​cursor=14935107#​comment-14935106|Alec Peters post, Star Trek Axanar Kickstarter project comment section]], 11/9/16.))

Lane posted in a comment on his blog that he took down the page at Peters'​ urging: ​

Lane posted in a comment on his blog that he took down the page at Peters'​ urging: ​

> Alec asked me to take down the GoFundMe site. It is now down. Not wanting him to be involved with it in any way until it was officially launched, I didn’t tell him I’d put it up online in the first place. When he found out about it, I got a call very quickly.((Jonathan Lane, comment, [[http://​fanfilmfactor.com/​2016/​10/​29/​alec-peters-attorney-fires-back-hard-at-cbsparamount-legal-team-in-axanar-lawsuit/#​comment-1676|"​Alec Peters'​ Attorney Fires Back Hard at CBS/​Paramount Legal Team in Axanar Lawsuit"​]],​ 11/3/16.))

> Alec asked me to take down the GoFundMe site. It is now down. Not wanting him to be involved with it in any way until it was officially launched, I didn’t tell him I’d put it up online in the first place. When he found out about it, I got a call very quickly.((Jonathan Lane, comment, [[http://​fanfilmfactor.com/​2016/​10/​29/​alec-peters-attorney-fires-back-hard-at-cbsparamount-legal-team-in-axanar-lawsuit/#​comment-1676|"​Alec Peters'​ Attorney Fires Back Hard at CBS/​Paramount Legal Team in Axanar Lawsuit"​]],​ 11/3/16.))

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===== Independent Fundraising Effort =====

===== Independent Fundraising Effort =====

As a formally independent crowdfund, controlled by Lane, this new money might very well have been beyond the reach of any damages or monetary settlement stemming from the [[copyright infringement]] lawsuit Peters faces from [[CBS]] and [[Paramount Pictures]].

As a formally independent crowdfund, controlled by Lane, this new money might very well have been beyond the reach of any damages or monetary settlement stemming from the [[copyright infringement]] lawsuit Peters faces from [[CBS]] and [[Paramount Pictures]].

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[{{ :​jonathan-lane.jpg?​nolink&​300|**GOFUNDME** Fan Film Factor blogger **Jonathan Lane** was looking for $45,000 via GoFundMe to help Axanar pay its rent, utilities and salaries.}}]

Lane insisted he set up the campaign without Peters'​ knowledge:

Lane insisted he set up the campaign without Peters'​ knowledge:

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Lane portrayed Axanar'​s struggle with CBS and Paramount as a "David and Goliath story. ​ The studios'​ strategy is to intimidate and make things too expensive for a fan to outlast the seige [sic]."​

Lane portrayed Axanar'​s struggle with CBS and Paramount as a "David and Goliath story. ​ The studios'​ strategy is to intimidate and make things too expensive for a fan to outlast the seige [sic]."​

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[{{ :​jonathan-lane.jpg?​nolink&​300|**GOFUNDME** Fan Film Factor blogger **Jonathan Lane** was looking for $45,000 via GoFundMe to help Axanar pay its rent, utilities and salaries.}}]

Oddly, Lane set up the GoFundMe page on October 29, yet on November 2 he posted this reply to a supporter'​s suggestion that he'd be willing to contribute $10-20 a month to help Axanar:

Oddly, Lane set up the GoFundMe page on October 29, yet on November 2 he posted this reply to a supporter'​s suggestion that he'd be willing to contribute $10-20 a month to help Axanar: